Clutch element for starting devices for gasoline engines



Sept. 3, 1957 R. G. PEcHlN, JR

CLUTCH ELEMENT FOR STARTING DEVICES FOR GASOLINE ENGINES Filed July 22, 1954 Quill.

y lll 13 INVENTOR. Hei/ Pec/)if/,Jir BY ATTORNEYS.

2,804,951 1 Patented Se?" 3 ,1957

CLUTCH ELEMENT FOR STARTING DEVICES FOR GASOLINE ENGINES Rene G. Pechin, Jr., Huntington Valley, Pa. Application `luly 22, 1954, Serial No. 445,013

2 Claims. (Cl. 192-107) This invention relates to starting devices for gasoline engines, `and particularly to starting devices adapted to start small gasoline engines used for such household purposes as powering lawn mowers, boats, garden tractors, etc.

Most gasoline engines which are adapted to power such equipment use a starter system which comprises a starting rope and a notched pulley about which the rope is wound. The notched pulley is axed to the crank shaft of the engine and by wrapping the starter rope around the pulley and then giving it a pull, the engine will turn over and start.

Such gasoline engines are of relatively delicate construction and it is diicult to maintain their timing system in optimum condition. With continued use, the timing system of such engines generally gets out of adjustment, to some slight extent at least, with the result that it isoften dii'lcult tostart the engines by the starter rope and pulley.

As anyone who owns a gasoline powered lawn mower is aware, it often becomes extremely exasperating to attempt to start the engine when it is not in perfect timing, especially on a hot day. Moreover, such difficulties often prove to be quite hazardous to people having high blood pressure, heart conditions and similar maladies. Thus, the starter rope and pulley assembly of most household gasoline engines has not generally proved to be satisfactory.

Accordingly, it is the chief object of this invention to provide a starting device for gasoline engines which will eliminate the necessity of using a starter rope and pulley assembly in order to start the engine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a starting device for gasoline engines which may be used as an attachment for an ordinary portable electric drill.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a starting device for gasoline engines which may be readily used therewith without alteration to the engines in any respect.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple, eicient and inexpensive device for starting gasoline engines which is of comparatively simple construction and which may be conveniently used and stored as part of an ordinary portable electric drill set.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a fragmentary, elevational view partly in section of my new starting device.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, elevational view in section of my new starting device in combination with a speed reducer.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, elevational view in section of my starting device with the speed reducer in reverse position to that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view in perspective showing the component metal parts of my starting device.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating how my `starting device may be used to start a gasoline engine.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, elevational view partly vin sec tion showing how my starting device may be used with an alternate form of gasoline engine starting pulley.

Referring to Fig. 1 o f the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a :portable electrically powered drill with a conventional chuck .11, and the numeral 12 designates a gasoline engine, 1in this instance an .engine adapted to power a lawn mower. The engine 12 has a crank shaft 1 3to which is affixed notched starting pulley 26 having internal recess 25.

The preferred form of my starting device comprises a shaft 14, an annular shoulder 15, an annular plate 16 and a friction element 24, the latter preferably frustov` conical, in Shape. The 'shaft 14 has 'an unthreaded end 20 and a threaded end 17 adapted to be engaged with internallythreaded bore 18 of shoulder 15. A nut 19 is permanently aixed to shaft 14, by welding or some other means-well known inthe art, and serves to limit the extent to which 'shaft 14 may be inserted into the bore 18.l Shoulder 15 is formed with a dependent sleeve 21, the periphery of which is threaded for engagement with threaded aperture 22 of plate 16. Plate 16 is further provided on both sides thereof with a plurality of circumferentially spaced protuberances 23 for a purpose presently to be explained. As will be apparentV from Fig. 4, shaft 14, shoulder 15 and plate 16 may be assembled by screwing sleeve 21 into aperture. 22v and then by screwing threaded end v17 of shaft1 4 intozbore 18'.

The friction elementV 24 is preferably formed of hard neoprene rubber having from 85. to 90 durometer and may be molded on assembled plate 16 and shoulder 15 by any means well known in the art. After the rubber friction element 24 has solidified on plate 16 and shoulder 15, the protuberances 23 will serve to retain it rmly in place. Friction element 24 is preferably formed with a recess 27 in the bottom thereof so as to avoid any contact or interference with nut 28 and stud 29 which are used to aix pulley 26 to crank shaft 13.

In the preferred form of my invention, the unthreaded end 20 of shaft 14 is mounted in the chuck 11 of the electric drill 10, as shown in Fig. 1. Thereupon, the friction element 24 of the starting device is pressed into the internal recess 25 of pulley 26 and drill 10 is turned on thereby causing the starting Idevice to rotate in a clockwise direction. By urging the friction element 24 against the inner wall of the recess 25, the pulley 26 will likewise rotate in a clockwise direction, due to the frictional contact created, thereby rotating crank shaft 13 so as to cause engine 12 to start. Thus, the necessity of using a starterrope with pulley 26, and the difficulties which it entails, are eliminated.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings is especially adapted for electric drills of ordinary power. When it is desired to employ my invention with a low power electric drill, the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 may be adopted. In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a speed reducer 30 having a small bevel gear 31 intermeshing with a large bevel gear 32. Bevel gear 31 is mounted on a shaft having an adapter 33 at the distal end thereof and, similarly, bevel gear 32 is mounted on a shaft having an adapter 34 mounted at its distal end. Adapters 33 and 34 are both formed with internally threaded recesses, and the shafts. to which they are joined are both supported in the speed reducer by suitable bearings, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3..

When it is desired to use my starting device with a low power electric drill, the shaft 14 is rst removed from the shoulder 15 and shaft 14a ysubstituted therefor. Shaft 14a is similar to shaft 14, having a threaded end 17a and a fixed nut 19a, but differs therefrom in that its end 20a.l

is threaded. After shaft 14a has been threaded into shoulder 15, the threaded end 20a thereof is threaded into adapter 34. Thereupon, shaft 14 is threaded into adapter 33, and its Unthreaded end'v 20 is mounted in the chuck 11u` .of drill 10a. Thus, by means of speed reducer 30, the speed of drill a will be reduced and its power outputl will bei correspondingly increased. With this arrangement,`the starting device may be inserted into recess 25 of pulley 26 in the manner shown in Fig. 5. Thereupon, the drillV 10a is turned on causing the friction element 24 to rotate ina clockwise direction, thereby causing the gasoline engine 12vto turn over and start.

.For 10W` speed, high power drills, it may be desirable to step up the speed output thereof in order to use such drills for the purpose herein described. Fig. 3 shows the manner in which a low speed, high power drill 10b may beused withspeed reducer 30 in utilizing my invention. In Fig. 3, -the speed reducer 30 has merely lbeen reversed with respect to the drill and the starting device so that the starting device is mounted in adapter 33 and the shaft 14 is mounted in the adapter 34. i There are, of course, numerous types of starter pulleys used with the various types of household gasoline engines and an alternate form of starter pulley, similar to a sheave, is shown .in Fig. 6. By pressing the bottom of friction element 24 rmly against the top of sheave 35 and then turning on the drill, the sheave 35 will be forced to turn, due to the frictional contact created thereby, thus rotating the crank shaft and causing the engine to start. While a preferred embodiment of my invention has been particularly described and illustrated, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes in the shape, proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. It is readily apparent that my invention is not restricted merely to gasoline engines, but that it will find wide use in the field of internal combustion engines generally.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a torque transmitting attachment for a portable electric drill, a frusto-conical element of non-metallic friction material adapted to engage into a hollow cup section wheel of a device to be driven, said element having embedded therein a metallic disk provided with a tapped axial aperture and with annular series of anchoring protuberances on its opposite faces, and also having xedly lodged centrally therein in the upper portion thereof an axially tapped bushing provided with a diametrically-reduced shouldered and threaded end onto which the disk is screwed until stopped by contact with the shoulder of the bushing; a shaft for connection to the portable drill, said shaft having a threaded end portion screwed into the bushing; and a nut engaged upon the threaded end portion of the shaft in clamping engagement with the top face of the bushing.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein the frusto-conical friction element is of neoprene rubber.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,024,151 Smith Apr. 23, 1912 2,045,452 Emrick June 23, 1936 2,161,300 Kolstad June 6, 1939 2,180,086 Kraft Nov. 14, 1939 2,260,770 Brownlee Oct. 28, 1941 2,277,107 Imes Mar. 24, 1942 2,316,874 Kraft Apr. 20, 1943 Y2,517,910 Miller Aug. 8, 1950 2,539,065 Erwood et al. Ian. 23, 1951 A2,613,780 Larson Oct. 14, 1952 2,645,320 Thompson July 14, 1953 

